Start With Hugs
by TheCopyMistress
Summary: Bad days can always be fixed with chocolate and hugs. And maybe a little something extra, if Kakashi is lucky? Prompt: "Start with hugs" "...With what?" KakaSaku. Rated T for language.


I told myself I would get this out last month, but it got away from me, and here we are.

Prompt:  
"She's crying, what do I do?"  
"Go comfort her."  
"How do I do that?"  
"Start with hugs."  
"With what?"

* * *

It wasn't by any choice of his own that Kakashi sat on the soles of Gai's feet, dirty footprints on the seat of his pants as Gai handstand-walked around the village for the 436th time that morning. Losing the challenge meant helping Gai with his training for the day, and if that meant that the Blue Beast of Konoha would leave him alone for the rest of the week, then so be it.

"How's the weather up there, my eternal rival?!" Gai's voice still managed to boom, even as his neck strained to see the road ahead of them. He ignored the snickers of the civilians and shinobi lining the streets, though he felt his dignity draining away with every hand-step Gai took. He re-buried his face into _Icha Icha_. Oh, what Kakashi would do for anything, _anything_ to get out of this **.** Of course, if he had known what was about to happen next, he would've retracted that sentiment immediately.

An explosion up ahead in the civilian district had him sliding off of Gai's sandals, jumping towards the rooftops with his rival tailing closely behind. At the source, they lowered themselves back down to the streets to herd civilians away from the rubble and dust. The dirty cloud dissipated and Kakashi could make out vibrant pink, connected to a set of heaving shoulders and clenched fists. He followed the direction it was facing to see a brown-haired boy sitting limply against a large indentation in the building across the street in only a pair of boxers.

The ground shook almost imperceptibly as the pink, which he belatedly realized was Sakura, took a menacing step toward the unconscious boy. In that second, Kakashi's world froze.

The shockwave from the ground reverberated from the soles of his sandals, making his legs tremble and his spine tingle. Here she was, about to beat the living daylights out of this unknown youth, and all he saw was how glorious she was. Even though she was covered in dirt from the rubble of not just one, but _four_ walls, the flush of anger made her skin glow ethereally. The menacing glare in her eyes, the heave of her breasts, the way her hair floated around her like chakra flowed through to its rosy tips, the way the muscles in her luxuriously long legs contracted and relaxed with every-

"Hey, isn't that your old student?" A voice beside him broke Kakashi out of his reverie, and he glanced over to see Kurenai looking concernedly between himself and the scene. "Umm… You should do something. She looks ready to kill…" Her point was punctuated by a stronger rumble within the ground.

"Un. Fucking. Believable." Sakura's steps began to leave cracks in the ground, growing larger and deeper as she approached the boy. "Is it me? It must be me, because _Kami forbid_ there's something wrong with _you_. Oh no, there could never be anything wrong with perfect. Little. Hiruko. I should've listened to Ino when she warned me about Inuzukas, but nooo, I gave you the benefit of the doubt. And to think, I was actually starting to _like_ you, and I-"

She was halted by an arm around her waist and a large gloved hand over her eyes. He felt her flinch and she gasped as he spoke in a low voice spoke beside her left ear, breath fanning warmly across her skin. "Sakura."

Kakashi could feel her trembling, and he moved his arm from around her waist to her shoulder, suddenly all too aware how closely they were pressed together. His glove was growing damp, and he spun her around to see tears trickling own her rosy cheeks. She glared down at the ground before bringing her eyes to meet his own, anger apparent. However, the was a glint of something else: pleading.

He always saved her, always protected her, and right now, she was begging him to do just that. This day just kept getting worse and worse. Why him? He closed his visible eye and nodded once. Turning his attention to the side and scanning the rapidly growing crowds on either side of the wreckage, he saw Naruto holding back Ino, mainly for the self preservation of them both. The last time they had seen Sakura this angry, Naruto had been on the receiving end, and even with Kurama's help, was stuck in bed for three days.

With the hand still on her shoulder, Kakashi steered the fuming girl to her best friends. Naruto wrapped an arm around her shoulder and took her away from the ruckus, probably home, though it didn't really matter. He would find them later. Right now, he had to deal with damage control.

Other shinobi bustled around, guiding civilians this way and that. He spotted Genma comforting not just one, but two frightened women. They huddled close to his chest, one under each arm, as he spoke to them in hushed voices that guaranteed at least one of them ending up between his sheets tonight.

Rolling his eyes, Kakashi turned back to the victim of the incident, who nobody had even attempted to approach yet. At least, not while the one who maimed him was still around. He crouched in front of the unknown boy, resting his elbows on his thighs as he glared down at him. The brunet had finally woken and was looking around in confusion and panic.

"She's gone. What's your name?" Kakashi scrutinized the person before him. Lanky, but obviously a shinobi. His face was nothing special, his build was nothing special, _he_ was nothing special. So why did Sakura do this to him? Then it hit him. A scent, a _woman's scent_ that was most definitely not Sakura. Sickly sweet, a few hundred pumps of perfume too the perfume failed to hide the obvious scent of sex all over this boy.

"Hiroku, senpai. Inuzuka Hiroku. Chuunin." Hiroku was holding his ribs gingerly, whimpering like a puppy. "Gods, she's insane…" Kakashi rolled his eye and rose to his feet and turned away from the young man. He began to walk away, but stopped for a second, turning his head back in Hiroku's direction.

"I'm not going to ask you what you did to Sakura because you obviously deserved it. Don't let me find you near her again." Forget walking, it gave him a chance to turn around and pummel this scumbag even more. He transported himself to the doorstep of his favorite former student, taking a deep breath before knocking lightly on the door.

'Why am I doing this?' He thought to himself, scratching the back of his head as he waited for one of them to answer the door. He was not going to deny that he cared about Sakura and Naruto. They were his family. But they were adults now, strong and independent and able to handle their own problems. He didn't check up on them. That wasn't something that needed to be done. If they needed him, they knew his habits enough to know where to find him.

His thoughts were interrupted as Naruto opened the door and ushered him inside. He removed his sandals and padded down the hallway to the kitchenette, which led into the living room. Naruto was standing by the stove boiling water for his ramen, and Ino was strangely absent. Kakashi peered into the living room to see Sakura curled up in a couple blankets, a steaming cup of tea cradled in her hands. If she noticed his arrival, she didn't bother to show it. She stared with dead eyes into her cup, her breathing slow and deliberate. Little by little, her face screwed in pain and she choked out a soft sob. The dried salt tracks on her face became wet again, and Kakashi was at a loss. Naruto nudged him and looked pointedly at their teammate, but Kakashi just held his hands up in surrender.

"She's crying, what do I do?"

"Go comfort her."

"How do I do that?"

"Start with hugs."

"With what?"

The blond rolled his eyes. "Come on, Kaka-sensei. Stop playing dumb." He shoved something into Kakashi's hands and pushed him into the living room. The jounin took a moment to remove his flak vest and place it in an adjacent chair. Sakura didn't even look up at him as he approached and sank into the couch next to her. He chose not to look at her, instead staring at the wall ahead of them, adorned with a dozen framed pictures of Sakura with Tsunade, Shizune, and Ino, but mostly with Naruto, himself, and the rest of Team Seven.

To say his thoughts of her this morning in the street disturbed him was an understatement. She was glorious in her rage, and they still floated around his brain as he comforted a very different girl next to him. He finally looked down at the thing Naruto had given him, which turned out to be a plain milk chocolate bar. He unwrapped it and broke off a piece, offering it to her.

"Ne, Sakura-chan. Your favorite." She sniffled and lifted her head, wiping her still-falling tears away. She took the square from his fingers and stuck the whole thing in her mouth, letting it melt slowly rather than chewing. It was a while before she swallowed the last of it and she was finally able to speak.

"What are you doing here, Kakashi?" He answered her with another morsel of chocolate. This time she chewed it, looking at him curiously the whole time. His presence seemed to have overrode whatever was bothering her in the first place, which made the silver-haired man even more confused than he had been this entire morning. He fed her the entire bar, piece by piece, before he allowed himself to look at her.

She had stopped crying (because of the chocolate, he told himself) and was just _staring_ at him like he was just some random weirdo sitting on her couch feeding her chocolate and listening to her snort back the mucus threatening to run from her nose. He wasn't trained for this. Crying women were not his forte, and he fought every instinct to turn tail and run.

He stared back into those oh-so-green eyes of hers for a moment before plucking the cup of tea from her palms and placing it on a side table next to him. Then he turned to her and hesitantly placing both hands on her shoulders. She furrowed her petal pink brows and yelped in surprise as he pulled her into his chest. The positioning was awkward to say the least; she was still wrapped up in her blankets cross-legged while he sat with his torso twisted towards her and the rest of his body facing the coffee table in front of them. His hands moved from her shoulders to wrap stiffly around her.

"Umm… Kakashi?"

"Hmm?" Sakura tried prying her face away from the man, but he held firm. Her hands were trapped between their chests, and he jumped when she gave him a small poke that was a little too hard to be natural. "Ite… Chakra is unnecessary, Sakura-chan."

"You weren't letting go!" Kakashi merely shrugged in response. It wasn't because he didn't want to let go of her. She didn't feel wonderful in his arms, and she definitely didn't feel like she belonged there. Nope.

"Are you ready to talk about it?" He propped his right ankle on his left knee and crossed his arms, leaning back into the couch. Sakura brought her knees to her chest, pulling the blankets tighter around her as she wrapped her arms around them. She sighed, dropping her forehead.

"He was cheating on me." She sounded so defeated, and it made Kakashi want to shunshin back over to that street and dropkick the kid that did this to her, even though she'd probably done enough damage herself. Not the point. Honor. That was the point. That's why his fists clenched so tightly, he could feel his own blunt nails pressing into the leather of his gloves. That's why he had to make a conscious effort to keep his breaths steady and mind clear of the rage that threatened to overwhelm him. Honor. Sakura's honor. "We'd only been together about two months, but…" She sniffled and reached for the tissue box beside her.

"No buts." His voice came out harsher than he meant it to. "He's an imbecile and he doesn't deserve you. He never will." He turned to her, gaze softening ever so slightly. "He isn't worth your tears, Sakura."

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, because she only cried harder in response. "I'm not crying over him, I'm crying over me! Why does this keep happening to me? What am I doing wrong? And don't even try to tell me that it's not my fault! I obviously can't impress, because these guys keep looking for whatever I'm not giving them elsewhere. Do I only get dates because I'm the Hokage's apprentice, the "heir of Tsunade Senju" or whatever prestige they believe can get extended to them? I'm a token, a trophy, a prize, a ticket into Konoha's elite circle and NOT a person with a heart and feelings! I'm deficient, I…" Kakashi was trying find a good place to stop her, but it was like she didn't even need to breathe while she degraded herself further and further.

Finally, after about 10 minutes of what he was convinced was an oxygen-less Sakura, he sighed loudly and rose to his feet, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He loved her, but there was a limit to how much he could hear her tear herself down before he- Wait, did he just say he loved her? No way. Scratch that. He _cared_ _for_ her, and he wanted to protect her from hurt and harm, and he wanted to see her smile light up her face and turn her eyes that shade of green that made his heart hurt, and… Well, he _cared for her_.

When Kakashi extracted himself from his thoughts, because damn, he'd had to do that a lot today, he noticed Sakura had gone quiet. He looked over his shoulder and she was studying him with those eyes and he couldn't look away. She broke eye contact first, grabbing a tissue to dab at her cheeks and blow her nose softly.

"I'm sorry." She spoke softly, her control on her voice fragile. "I didn't mean to bore you."

"Kami, Sakura." He turned, exasperated, and rubbed a hand over his face. "You could never. You know that you're probably the only person I spend any length of time with voluntarily, aside from _maybe_ Naruto, and that's a strong maybe. What I can't stand is you saying those things about yourself. You've come so far and become so strong. Those children that you date? It's their fault they can't see past the ends of their moronic noses to cherish you for everything that you are. Why are you wasting your time with them anyways?"

She looked contemplative for a moment. She reached past him towards her teacup, which he handed to her, but it had long since got cold. Sighing defeatedly, she untangled herself from her blankets and padded past him towards the kitchen. Kakashi knew that she was stalling, but why, he had no clue. He followed her, noticing that Naruto had left and cleaned his dishes? That was a first. Of course, after what they had witnessed today, no one wanted to be on Sakura's bad side. He was pushing it as it was, probably annoying her as he lowered himself into a chair and watching her trudge around, making herself more tea. She set the kettle on the stove and joined him at the table, laying face down on her crossed arms. She mumbled something unintelligible.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"Nothing." He stared down at the pink mop of hair on the table, subconsciously noting that there had been quite a lot of staring today, on both of their parts. Sakura lifted her head to cradle it in a palm, drawing circles on the table with her finger. She was still avoiding eye contact with him. "Thank you for today. I feel like we haven't seen each other in a while."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at her. Of course he'd noticed that they hadn't been spending that much time together, how could he not? She didn't even ask him about the mission he'd returned from yesterday, like she didn't even notice he was gone. "You were the one that didn't even tell me you were dating that Inuzuka boy."

"I know, I was…" He could practically hear the cogs in her head ticking; it was so rare that she was at a loss for words. "I was trying to distract myself. It almost worked."

The kettle whistled then, and the man rose to turn off the stove. He reached into the cupboard to pull down two mugs. "Distract yourself from what?" The next cabinet over held her favorite tea, along with his, Ino's, Sai's, Yamato's, Sasuke's, and whoever else was prone to drop by. He grabbed two teabags and dropped them into the mugs, pouring the hot water over them before heading back to the table. "Is the hospital becoming too much?"

"No, the hospital has been fine. Even with Tsunade-sama on sabbatical with Shizune-san, it's been pretty under control." She smiled weakly at that. Kakashi knew that there was nothing that brought her more joy than her work, and it made his heart swell with pride whenever he was reminded that his former student had found her calling. "I was… IwastryingtokeepmymindoffyoubecauseIlikeyou."

She sipped her tea for a long time. He wondered if it was possible to heal burns as you're receiving them, because 'I just took that water off the stove, Sakura, what are you doing.'

"What?" He heard her wrong. He had to have heard her wrong.

When she set down her mug again, it was empty. She stared into it and said her next words painfully slowly, but as it turns out, he definitely heard her right. "I like you, Kakashi. I've been trying to deny it because I didn't want to mess up a friendship that we've both worked so hard for. And I needed distance from you because I was afraid that you'd never stop seeing me as that little girl that you always needed to take care of, so I couldn't let myself _feel_ the way that I did" She chuckled, but it didn't come out as more than a weak puff of air. "I guess today didn't help that cause at all. I acted like such a child."

Kakashi didn't even think before he reached across the table to touch her hand lightly, to which she responded by slowly turning her hand over. They trailed their fingers across each other's palms, just watching their hands connect of their own accord.

It was quite some time before they broke the silence, Kakashi opting to speak first. "If I'm being honest, it was today that changed my mind about you." He kept his eyes down as his thumb caressed hers, but he saw emerald orbs flick upwards. She was studying him, but he refused to give her much, refused to even look back at her. "And I haven't needed to take care of you for a long time, Sakura. You're a capable kunoichi, and far more than I could ever be. I'm old and jaded and scarred and in no way good for someone as talented and beautiful as you." Her eyes cast downward, but he held fast to her hand as she tried to pull away. "But I'm also selfish and weak and tired of denying myself of the good things that come my way."

"Well, you're being awfully free with compliments today… So you didn't even notice me until today? When I was throwing boys through buildings and being a public hazard?"

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"Kakashi!" She slapped his hand in reprimand. He replied with a cloth-covered grin, bringing the mood of their conversation to a lighter tone, her laugh tickling his ears and echoing in his mind.

"No, trust me, I've noticed. Far more than is appropriate." He squeezed her hand a final time before crossing his arms, slouching deeply in the chair so his head lolled back and he was studying the ceiling. "I don't know if I can be what you need me to be. But I also think that this deserves a chance."

He heard a chair scrape, lifting his head to see Sakura place her mug in the sink, but instead of walking back to her side of the table, she stood beside him. He adjusted himself to sit higher and she lowered herself slowly, sitting on one of his thighs delicately. Kakashi's heart was pounding forcefully within his chest and his breath came short. He knew that he had no reason to be so nervous, that they had been in far more compromising positions that had never affected him so, but he was screaming internally anyway as his former student wrapped her arms around his neck.

Her bottle green eyes peered shyly at him through pale lashes, but Kakashi's own charcoal orbs were locked onto her lips. She chewed lightly on the her bottom one, making it swollen, pink, and irresistibly kissable. His hands touched her waist for the second time that day, feeling her softness through the thin material of her shirt. He traced her subtle curve down to her hips, thumbs slipping under to feel the warmth of her skin underneath. His eyes traveled up to hers just in time to see them flutter shut, her forehead moving to rest against his.

She tilted her head to press her lips lightly against his masked ones, and Kakashi knew he was going to hell. To indulge in something this sweet, this perfect, and it _still_ wasn't enough. He used his grip on her hips to urge her to pull away, earning him a confused (and hurt) look from the woman on him. Holding her gaze steady with his own, he reached up with one hand to grip his mask, pulling it down slowly, revealing himself to her inch by inch. A quiet gasp escaped those delicious lips, and he couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face.

"That bad, huh?" He couldn't help but think that he was extremely lucky he had shaved that morning as Sakura traced his jaw with her fingers before moving to his lips. He kissed the pads of her fingers, causing a blush to color her cheeks and Kakashi to smile even wider.

"Not fair…" Her voice was barely above a whisper. "No wonder you hide that. It should be illegal to be that good looking." He laughed softly, heat rising to his face as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. Sakura giggled as she ran his fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.

'Get a hold of yourself, Hatake,' the jounin scolded himself. 'Just because there's a cute girl on your lap, you're blushing like a teenager?'

He forced himself to cool down before looking back at her, giving them both a moment before capturing her lips again. Her grip tightened in his hair as she pulled him further into herself, a whimper escaping her lips. Kakashi groaned in response, feeling the heat fall from his face to somewhere further south. If they didn't stop now, he was going to lose control. His hand cupped her face as he pulled away, breath hot as it mingled with hers.

"As much as I'm enjoying this moment, I'd like to take you dinner before I take you to bed." He almost smacked himself for letting that fall out of his mouth.

To his relief, Sakura just smiled back at him before nodding and taking his hand from her waist. She intertwined their fingers in her lap, tracing the veins on the back of his hand, up his wrist and forearm.

"Hatake Kakashi offering to pay for a meal?" She teased. "I must be dreaming." He didn't get to answer as she kissed him a final time and rose from his lap. "I've got a meeting with Shishou, so I gotta go." Kakashi pulled his mask back over the lower half of his face, adjusting the fabric at his nose. He watched Sakura bounce around her apartment, gathering scrolls and medical files, while he placed his mug into the sink and tossed the used teabag.

Their paths met at the door and they walked out of her apartment building together, her proximity still making Kakashi's skin tingle. He kept his hands in his pockets, firmly to himself, as he turned to her.

"Look, Sakura," he started as he ran a hand through unruly locks. "I want to give this a chance, and I know I asked you on a date, but…"

"But I just dumped a guy this morning?" He nodded, relieved that he didn't have to be the one to say it. "Don't worry, Kakashi. I understand the circumstances. Let's just take this easy, yeah?"

He let out a breath that he didn't even know he was holding, and he felt the tension in his shoulders dissipate. "I'm glad we're on the same page." He waved at her with a smile before turning away towards the training grounds, but he stopped suddenly as a nice idea came to him.

"Tell you what." His voice stopped her in her tracks as she swiveled to look at him curiously. He closed the few yards between them to speak softly to her. "Come by tomorrow. I'll cook for you." She raised an eyebrow at him, the confusion on her face growing. He stared down at her until she nodded slowly, a small smirk on her face.

"Yeah, okay. I'll see you then." She turned towards the Hokage tower again. Kakashi noted the slight spring in her step, and he smiled to himself before he transported back to his own apartment.

* * *

I'm not entirely happy with the ending, but I needed to finish it eventually. Please review, and thank you for reading!


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